Tractor mower



Dec. 13, 1949 w. zlNK ETAL TRACTOR MOWER Original Filed June 1, 1940 INVENTOR ATTORN E Y Dec. 13, 1949 w. L. zlNK ETAL TRACTOR MOWER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Fled June l, 1940 Viiltam L Zul/r. .@yron T /laJla/d Vernon HaaJwir/z INVENTOIMS ATTORNEY NNN Dec. 13, 1949 w. L.. zlNK ErAL TRACTOR MOWER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed June 1, 1940 William L. Zink,

Qyfon T Aadlarzd Ve man 0. Hausa/Hh 1N VENT ORG ATTORNEY Dec. 13, 1949 Original Filed June l, 1940 w. l.. zlNK ETAL 2,490,894

TRACTOR MOWER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 'lll wauw L. zink .Qyfofz .7.' Hula/zd Ve mon 0. Haacarifh mvENToR u' ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 13, 1949 William L. Zink, Plano, and Byron .'1. Aasland and Vernon 0. Hauswirth, Kankakee, Ill., as-

signors to Sears, Roebuck and Co.,

Chicago, Ill.,

a corporation of New York Original application June 1, 1940, SerialVNo.

338,354. Divided and this 19, 1945, Serial No. 575,322

3 Claims. 1

This is a division of our co-pending application Serial No. 338,354, led June 1, 1940, now Patent 2,371,206, issued March 13, 1945, entitled Tractor mower.

This invention pertains to farm implements, and is concerned more particularly with those of the tractor mounted type.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a supporting structure for mounting pullbehind farming apparatus on farm tractors so as to enable speed and facile application and detachment of such apparatus under conditions of power take-off coupling to the drive shaft of said tractors.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

The invention will be better understood upon reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the rear of a mower mechanism mounted on a tractor and driven from the tractor power takeoif;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view looking downward from the rear and showing essentially only the mounting frame for supportinga mower and operating mechanism therefor;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail elevational view taken as indicated by the line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view taken as indicated b'y the line 4-4 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view taken from approximately the same viewing angle as Fig. 1 somewhat enlarged but shows only the supporting mechanism by which the mounting frame of the mower is readily attachable to and detachable from the tractor, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan sectional view taken as indicated by the line 6 6 in Fig. 1, certain portions of the structure of Fig. 1 being omitted for the sake of clarity.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is illustrated the rear part of a tractor having a propeller shaft power take-off extension 2| on which is detachably mounted a pulley 22. Belts 24 which are preferably of the V type are trained about said pulley and also about a driven pulley 25 mounted on a driven shaft 26. The driving surface 21 of the pulley 22 is preferably ,smooth for the purpose of enabling the belts to find their proper places of alinement and to afford slippage between the same and the belts when the mower becomes fouled and cam not reciprocate, as will appear. The driven pulley 25 preferably has V-grooves accommodating the application January (ci. ss-zs) v-belts for affording the desired degree ofl traction for the transmission of power and positively positioning the belts thereon. The driven shaft 25 is-journaled in a steel tube 28, said shaft germinating rearwardly in a flywheel or counterweighted crank disc 3l). to which is eccentrically connected as at 3| the drive end 32 of a"V pitman 34. A clamp head 35 at the opposite end of' tube'28 is a yoke 40 which may be strengthened as by a gusset 4| preferably integrated with the tube, the upper and lower arms 42 of the yoke 4|l are connected together by a sleeve 43 and disposed betweenl upper and lower belt tightener swing plates 44 and 45, respectively, a pivot bolt 48 extending through said arms, sleevel and plates.- The plates 44 and 45 are joined by a sleeve 43 through which extends a pivot bolt 48, the ends of the bolt 4I being supported in upper and lower tubular members 52 and 53 welded or otherwise suitably secured to the left upright 54 of a mounting frame55. An angle bolt 56 pivotally connected to the upper swingplate 44 and adustably connected at 51 to a bracket 58 on the .upper bar 52 may be regulated to position thesWing plates 44V and 45 and the pivot bolt 45 to the'right or left, as the case may be, causing corresponding disposition of the torque tube 28 and hence of the driven pulley 25 for taking up slack in the belts 24 and for enabling the belts to be'applied to andremoved from the respective pulleys 22 and 25.- The frame 55 is rigidied by a brace rod 59.

A belt guard $0 has its lower end secured as Vat 6l to the lowerbar 53 and its upper arm secured as at 62 to a brace bar 63, one end of which may7 3 lateral arm and a forwardly extending arm 88 welded as at 69 to the adJacent end of a transversely extending forward bar 18 whose other end is welded or otherwise suitably fixed as at 12 to the tube 28. Thus the tube 28, beam 65 and forward bar form a rigid frame. The arm 68 of the beam 65 has an inclined skid portion 14. Fastened to the .bar 16 is a bracket 16 inclined forwardly and downwardhf, the portions 14 and 16 providing a flared guide for receiving a tongue 18 welded or anchored in any other suitable fashion to the right hand upright 18 of the mounting frame 55, to assist in the support of the swinging frame.

Welded or otherwise suitably fastened to the upright 19 in accordance with an illustrative form of the invention is a bracket 81, Fig. 2, to which an adjusting rod 82 is pivotally connected as by a release member such as a shear bolt 83. The rod 82 is adjustably connected as at 84 to an arm 85 pivoted as at 86 to the frame bar 1Q.

As is evident from Fig. 6, the swinging frame is capable of turning about the pivot bolt 46 in a clockwise sense, so that the pulley 25 is swung into and out of the operative position shown in Fig. 6 should the mower blade 31 become stalled as by an obstruction, the continued forward movement of the vehicle will shear the safety bolt 83, causing the kinfe and associated mechanism, together with the swinging frame on which the same are mounted, to swing clockwise and rearwardly, about the pivot bolt 46, so that no damage is sulered other than the shearing of the bolt.

It is to be observed from the foregoing that the swinging frame as well as the mowing and associated mechanism carried thereby are swingable as a unit about the axis of the pivot bolt 45 in the direction to shear the shear bolt 83 or in the opposite direction during reinstatement. The swing in said opposite direction may be done by hand lifting or by backing the tractor,.the tongue 18 cooperating with the guide elements 14 and 16 at the final portion of reinstatement.

During reinstatement of the frame, the belts are slipped into the grooves in the pulley 25 and the swinging frame is shifted still further by the adjusting bolt 56 until slack in the belts is taken up. A new shear bolt 83 is inserted in place of the spent one, and the adjusting rod 82 connected thereto and to the arm 85. The rod is adjusted relative to the arm 85 to the extent necessary to secure the axis of the pulley 25 parallel with the axis of the pulley 22, whereupon power may be properly transmitted. The securement of the rod 82 in adjusted position establishes the swinging frame against movement relative to the mounting frame 55. Should the belts thereafter become slack, this slack can be taken up by an adjustment of the bolt 56 and, if necessary of the rod 82. This will involve a slight shift of the swinging frame to the left, but inasmuch as the arm 85 is pivotally connected at 86 to the bar 111, and the rod 82 is pivotally connected to the bracket 81 by the shear bolt 83, this lateral movement of the swinging frame will not be interfered with, the adjustment between the rod 82 and arm 85 being changed to the degree necessary to take up belt slack.

It will be observed that the mower blade and the means by which it is supported by the swinging frame 13 are both mounted outboard of said frame, with the result that a stress is applied to the laterally extending DOtlon of the beam 65. which is communicated to the tube 28. It is further to be noted that the mower blade and supporting and operating mechanism therefore are located at one side of the tube and, through the bars 65 and 10, tend to twist the tube 28 aboutits axis clockwise, Fig. 2. These stresses are very substantial and if, in place of the tube 28, a fiat bar were used, as is conventional. the bar would have to be made exceedingly heavy to withstand such stresses without distortion. In accordance with our invention, the tubular form of the element 28 affords all of the resistance to both forms of torsional stresses without the weight that would be necessary in the conventional construction.

Pivotally connected as at to the swinging beam 85 is a yoke bar assembly 126 comprising a bar 121 the free end 130 of which swivelly carries a yoke 131 retained as by a nut 132. The yoke 13| has depending arms 133 and 134 to which the inner shoe 135 of a mower knife bar is pivotally connected as at 136 and |31. The shoe |35 is rigidly connected as at 139 to the knife bar 38 to which the knife 31 is slidably connected as aforesaid, and on the other end of the knife bar 38 is the outer shoe (not shown), whereby the knife bar and associated knife are supported from the ground at an elevation.

Mounted on the yoke |31 as at 139A is a spring tilting lever 141i having a pin |41 selectively receivable in any one of a series of holes 142 in a quadrant 143 supported on the plate 144 welded or otherwise suitably mounted on the yoke bar 121. The quadrant is held in nested relation to the plate 144 as by a bolt 148, extending through an elongated slot in the quadrant 143 to allow the quadrant to be adjusted in respect to said plate. A retainer spring (not shown) engages the tilting lever and presses the same against the quadrant 143 to thereby insure against rattling therebetween. The lever may be pulled away from the quadrant against its own resilience and the pressure of the retainer spring |58, to remove the pin |41 from one hole 142, and then the lever may be swung to shift the pin 14| into line with another hole.

Pivotally supported in a sleeve 152 welded or otherwise suitably mounted on the yoke bar 121 is a lift crank 155 connected as by a link 156 to a bar 151 whose other end is pivotally connected as at 151a to a bar |58 connected at 159 to a lug |611 on the shoe 135 so as to cause said shoe to move with the bar 158 as a unit. The lift crank |55 is connected by a link 161 with the arm 162 of a bell crank lifting member |63, which is pivoted at 164 to a bracket 165 having a notch 186 for receiving a spring-pressed latch |61 carried by said lifting member 163, the bracket being secured as at 168 to the swinging beam 65.

.The latch is retracted when a handle |69 on the arm 163 is pulled. An ear bracket 111i fastened to the lever arm 163 is connected as by a link |11 to an end of a helper spring |12, the other end of the spring |12 being connected to an adjustable rod 114 securable in a bracket 115 mounted as at |16 on the beam 65.

When the mower knife is in operating position, the parts are arranged as shown in Figs. l and 6. Otherwise, the knife and associated bar are raised to a substantially vertical position. To accomplish this, the operator grasps the handle I 69 on the lifting arm 163 so as to retract the springpressed pawl or latch 161 supported thereon sufficiently to enable the latch to clear the top of the quadrant |65, and pulls the lever 163 from right to left until thelatch engages in the notch |68 in the quadrant. By this action, which is assisted by the helper spring |12, the lifting arm |82, acting through the link I 8|, swings the crank |55 in a clockwise direction, looking from the rear toward the front, with the result that the link |56 causes the link |51to swing the bar |58 to the left, first raising the lower shoe, if they are at diierent levels, and then causing the shoes, knife and knife bar to turn as a`unit about the axis |25 of the yokebar. The bolt |64 engages the strap |1Il to prevent over-centering or toggle action of the helper spring. When this swing of the lifting member |63 is completed, the knifeand cutter bar extend at an angle of approximately degrees to the ground. Of course, this angle may be varied as desired. Thereupon, the operator lifts the cutter and cutter bar by hand to a substantially upright position whereupon a retainer rod |80, pivotally anchored to the frame bar 65 as at IBI, and normally held in inoperative position by an anti-rattle spring |82, suitably mounted as on the gusset 4|, as shown in Fig. 1, is swung over and its threaded end passed through a hole |84 in the cutter bar 38 after a nut |85 is removed from said end |83'. This nut is then applied to said end |83 at the far side of the cutter bar, said nut cooperating with a shoulder |86 on the rod at the near side of the cutter bar to tightly connect the cutter bar to the rod.

When the cutter apparatus is to be let down the cutter bar is disconnected from the rod |80 and the latter swung counter-clockwise and allowed to rest where it is held against rattling by the spring |82 as noted above.

The yoke |3| is braced by means of a brace bar |90 pivotally conected as at ISI to the underside of the frame bar 1 0 and also pivotally connected as at |92 toan extension |83 of the yoke arm.

Means is provided for quick detachment and attachment of the mounting frame 55 relative to the tractor. The tractor has clamping devices` 200 adapted to detachably hold the upper frame bar S4 of the mounting frame 55 or to secure the corresponding bars of frames of cultivators or other tractor mounted tools. The upright 54 has a bolt orpin 202 projecting preferably inward to the right,Fig. 2, and a locating bar 203 fastened to a suitable stationary part 204 as at 205, projects rearwardly therefrom and has a slot 201 into which the pin 202 is slipped as the frame 55 is moved forwardly or the tractor is backed into place. The top bar 64 of the frame comes to rest in the angularly notched seats 208 of the clamping devices 200. A second locating bar 208 has a forward portion pivotally connected as at 2I0 to a suitable stationary part 2| I, and is adapted to swing down and receive in its slot 2|2 a pin or bolt 2|3 carried by the upright 19. When the top bar 64 of the-frame is resting in the sockets 208 of the clamping devices 200 and the respective pins 202 and 2|3 of the uprights 54 and 19 are received in the corresponding slots of the locating bars 203 and 209, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the frame 55 is properly located whereupon the clamping devices 23| and 232 are tightened upon the top barv54 and nuts 2|4 applied to the free ends of the pins to clamp the bars 203 and 209 and thus rigidly support said frame.

The tractor may be provided with a draw bar 220 adapted to be used when a trailing apparatus Yand 209 that neither such'frame nor the remainder of the apparatus cooperating therewith isvinterfered with by the draw bar. Yet, if it is desired to replace the mounted tool and associated structure, by another mounted tool or by a drawn tool, it is necessary merelyto remove the pulley 22, unclamp the vbars 203 and 209 from the respective uprights 54 and 19, release the clamps 200 and 232 and swing the bar 209 upward free of the pin or bolt 2|3, whereupon the tractor may be driven forward slightly to completely free it of the mounting frame 55 and the apparatus connected therewith. Thereupon, the top bar of a cultivator or other mounted tool, corresponding to the top bar- 64 of the mounting frame 55, may be secured to the clamping devices 200, or, if a trailing apparatus is to be employed, the same may be connected to the draw bar 220 and the locking bolts 222 removed to allow the draw bar to have free swing between the ends of the support 22|, or shifted to lock the draw bar at any position desired for use.

Various modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit of our invention, and, hence, we do not wish to be restricted to the specific form shown or uses mentioned, except to the extent indicated in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted as broadly as the state of the art will permit.

We claim:

1. A mounting for a tractor-operated tool, said mounting comprising a frame having a transverse member and spaced uprights connected to said member, tractor supported means engageable with forward and under portions of said member and with a part on one of said uprights at a point substantially spaced from said member, as said frame and tractor are mutually approached, whereby said frame is retained against forward and downward movement, and a movable member supported by said tractor and movable into engagement with a rear portion of a part on the other upright while said frame is thus supported, whereby said frame is held temporarily at rest, and means operative for releasably securing said member and uprights in said positions of rest.

2. A supporting apparatus for detachably mounting pull-behind mowers onto farm tractors comprising,A a pair of mounting plates bolted parallelly one on each side of a farm tractor differential and power take-off housing, said mounting plates having transversely aligned anglenotched seats and each pivotally supporting a yoke bracket and a yoke bracket tie bolt, a coupling frame for detachable engagement with said mounting plates comprising a pair of vertically disposed transversely spaced tubular uprights, a tubular tie welded to and connecting said uprights having polygonal cross-section and disposed to present one of its polygonal corners for seating in the angle-notched seats of said mounting plates, and a pair of strut bars boltedto the farm tractor having locating pin and slot engagement with said coupling frame uprights and for relieving torque 3. Apparatus for coupling'pull-behind mowers to farm tractors comprising. a pair of vertical plates bolted parallelly one on each side of a tracf tor power take-on housing. said piateshaving transversely aligned notches and each carryinga shackle 'for securing a frame member seated in its associated one of said notches. a coupling frame for detachable engagement with said plates comprising 'a pair of vertically disposed transversely spaced uprights, a horizontal tie welded to and connecting said uprights having a crosssection for seating in the notches of said plates. and a pair of strut bars secured in the farm tractor having engagementwith said coupling frame uprights for additionally securing said couv pling frame to the tractor.

WILLIAM L. ZINK. BYRON T. AASLAND. VERNON O.

8 nnrmnncns CITED The following references are o! record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 219,251 Green Sept. 2, 1879 273,994 Hyle Mar. 13, 1883 314,789 Bole Mar. 31. 1885 619,168 Gragert Feb. 7, 1899 1,275,599 Reed Aug. 13, 1916 1,947,552 Huddle Feb. 20. 1934 2,065,869 Owens Dec. 29, 1936 2,082,260 Reid June 1, 1937 2,159,165 Kling et al May 23, 1939 2,239,986 Blood Apr. 29, 1941 2,248,332 Boudelier et al July 8, 1941 2,275,259 Johnson et ai Mar. 3, 1942 2,305,959 Fredricksen Dec. 22, 1942 2,314,216 Hilblom Mar. 16, 1943 2,355,272 Cardwell Aug. 8, 1944 2,376,406

Weingut May 22, 1945 

